


under and over

by leftshoelace



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Jace Wayland, Cuddling & Snuggling, Daylighter Simon Lewis, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Established Simon Lewis/Jace Wayland, Fluff, Hair Braiding, Jace Wayland Being a Little Shit, Jace Wayland Deserves Nice Things, Jace Wayland Likes His Hair Played With, Jace Wayland Needs A Hug, Jace Wayland-centric, Light Angst, M/M, Missions, Pansexual Simon Lewis, Protective Jace Wayland, Protective Simon Lewis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2020-09-28 04:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20419928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leftshoelace/pseuds/leftshoelace
Summary: Jace falls in love with Simon's hair braiding abilities.





	under and over

They were in Simon's apartment when they first found out that Jace _loved_ having his hair played with

Simon laid across the seat cushions of the couch, head resting on the arm of the sofa. Jace sprawled on top of him, shirtless, face buried in his neck. For someone who was all muscle, runes and kick-ass, Jace was surprisingly soft when he wanted to be- alone with Simon, he spoke in murmurous volumes, tenderness seeping into his voice. His touches were gentle- ghosting his fingertips down Simon's shoulders, arms, sides. It was almost fragile, the way Jace became when he wasn't expected to be a ruthless demon hunter. 

Lifting his hand from where it rested (at the base of Jace's spine), Simon began to trace the runes that littered his boyfriend's back, following the raised burns with his fingertip. The Shadowhunter made a small noise of approval, shifting under Simon's touch. Simon gave a small smile, following the runes up Jace's back to the one that sat on the back of his neck. He followed the pattern of the rune, his smile growing to a grin when gooseflesh arose on Jace's skin. 

"You alright there, pretty boy?" he teased, tracing the mark again. 

Jace made another noise, this one more complaintive than the last. "Callouses. Feel weird," 

Always the eloquent one was Jace. He clearly hadn't inherited any communication skills from Maryse's parenting years. 

Simon hummed, hovering his hand just above Jace's skin. "Want me to stop?" 

"... No," he muttered in reply, shuffling in his place to bury closer to the Vampire. 

Simon's hand settled back down against the rune at Jace's neck, following the pattern down, and then in reverse, a constant flow of movement. If Jace were honest, he'd say that it felt a little weird. Every rune had its effect- some deadened and numbed the skin around them, others made the skin more sensitive. It was a matter of how powerful the rune was and how sensitive the place that you put it was before the rune was added. 

Slowly, slowly, Simon's hand slid into Jace's hair, carding through the strands that tumbled away from their usual slicked-back position. Jace had been about twenty minutes post-shower- warm and very much shirtless- when he flopped down on top of Simon and silently declared it cuddle time, so his hair wasn't styled back like normal. It was curly, actually, soft natural loops drifting against the buzzed back and sides. 

The second Simon's blunt nails scratched gently against Jace's scalp, it was like butter in a hot pan. Somehow, Jace got even softer, relaxing against his boyfriend completely with a contented, groaning sigh. The hot exhalation dusted across Simon's skin, sending electricity down his spine, tingling at his fingertips. 

" 's'nice," Jace mumbled, rubbing an appreciative thumb against Simon's side once, twice, three times. 

Simon smiled, all dimples and fangs. "Your hair's getting longer," he stated, his tone fond. It wasn't exactly a question- more of an observation. Jace hummed. 

"M'yeah. Been meaning to get it cut. Haven't had the time," 

Simon's smile lessened a little. "No, I like it like this. It's nice," 

And it was- nice, that is. The strands were just brushing the back of his neck, curling upwards at the ends. Simon ran his fingers through them, his fingers gently detangling as they moved. 

"Mmh. Gets in the way, though. When 'm fighting. Can't see," 

Ah. Simon could live with the criminal act that was cutting Jace's hair if it meant the Shadowhunter survived his missions. 

The two fell back into a comfortable silence, Simon never ceasing his movements (and he'd tried. Jace had made this adorable noise of protest and he had no other choice than to keep stroking his hair. It was clear that he was meant to cuddle his boyfriend and stroke his hair forever- a fate he'd already resigned to). They stayed like that for a while- how long exactly, Simon couldn't tell, but the sun had sunk considerably lower behind the New York skyline when he spoke up again. 

"Well I mean, you could always braid it," 

Simon felt the furrow in Jace's brow more than he saw it. "What?" 

"Your hair. You could braid it," he repeated, "To keep it out of your eyes," 

"Hm," Jace hummed in response. His replies were lazy when he was comfortable- if Simon had to hazard a guess, he would say that Jace was about five minutes away from falling asleep on him. "I don't know how to, though," 

Simon huffed a laugh through his nose, a smile somewhere between soft and smug gracing his features. "I've finally done it. I've found something that the Wonderful Jace Wayland doesn't know how to do. Somebody call the board of the Nobel Peace Prize- I've made a breakthrough," 

Jace grumbled, giving Simon's side a playful pinch. "All that did was prove that you think I'm wonderful. Nice try though, Lewis," 

Simon rolled his eyes. "Seriously though," he started, turning his head to somewhat gaze in Jace's general direction (It was hard to turn your head with a Shadowhunter buried in your neck), "You grew up with _Izzy_. Killer-make-up warrior-braids Izzy Lightwood. Surely she asked you for help at least once?" 

Jace lifted his head from where it was resting against Simon's collarbone and propped his chin against the Vampire's chest, looking at him with sleepy eyes. He shrugged, shaking his head. "I was ten when Maryse took me in. By the time I got there, Izzy was eight years old- and already knew how to do pretty much every style known to man. I never got the chance to learn," 

"What _I_ wanna know, though," Jace added, "Is how _you_ know how to braid hair. Can't imagine you ever having it long enough to practice on yourself," 

Simon snorted. "No, God no- the longest I ever got was a bowl cut when I was five, which- _yeesh_. I have a younger sister, and I grew up with Clary from first grade; I pretty much had no choice but to learn," 

The corner of Jace's lip quirked up, his expression one that he wore when he had an idea. "So... In theory," he muttered, looking up at Simon through his lashes, "You could braid mine?" 

"In theory," Simon echoed, making a face that embodied a shrug. "Depends," 

"On what?" 

He rolled his eyes. "On whether or not you'd be willing to get_ off of me_, dummy. As much as I like being blanketed by a hot, shirtless, wall-of-muscle Shadowhunter, I can't do anything sat like this," 

"_A_ hot, shirtless shadowhunter? So any old shadowhunter will do, eh?" Jace countered, a teasing lilt to his smile.

Simon pinched his side. "You want me to do this or not?"

The speed at which Jace got up- it was as if he'd been burned. Simon stifled a laugh. Sitting up on the couch, with his feet on the floor, Simon parted his legs, pointing to the rug-covered floor between them. "Sit." 

Jace did as he was told, leaning back against the couch cushions, shoulders bracketed by Simon's thighs. His eyes fluttered closed the second Simon's nails were combing through his hair, and it took more effort than he thought it would just to keep his head up straight (since what he wanted to do was melt against his boyfriend and have Simon's hands in his hair at all waking hours). 

It was methodical, the way Simon worked, Jace found. Gather from the left, cross it over to the right. Gather from the right, cross it over to the left. A constant pattern, his fingers forming a steady rhythm. He could have fallen asleep right there on the floor- it wasn't often that Shadowhunters got downtime, let alone for something as domestic as this. He quite liked it. He'd found himself liking a lot of things, actually. Black and White movies, Vinyl, and now having his hair played with. 

But of course, Simon was going to be the only person who ever knew about that. Alec and Izzy would never live it down. 

Simon's hands stopped at the top of his spine, and a snap of elastic drew Jace out of his lull. 

"And... Done. Wanna see it?" 

Jace nodded, handing Simon his phone so he could use the camera. Several clicks followed, and the device was back in Jace's hand. He swiped through the images, lips parted, slightly taken aback. It was pretty, actually- golden strands woven together so precisely, and tied off with a black elastic at the bottom. Slowly, Jace ran his fingers down the braid, touches light in case he disturbed Simon's work

Tilting his head back, Jace locked eyes with the vampire, a smile on his face. "Thank you," he murmured, placing a hand on the back of Simon's head and pulling him down into an upside-down kiss (a 'spiderman kiss' as Simon had once put it. Followed by a confused 'what the hell is a spiderman' and incredibly offended vampire-y noises). 

A smile graced Simon's lips as he pulled away- a soft sort of smile reserved for the rarest of occasions. The pointed ends of his canines- longer than the average mundane's but shorter than his fangs- peeked out from behind his upper lip, and his cheeks dimpled. His muscovado eyes glinted with something edging on fond, and it was like he was looking at Jace's soul, rather than his exterior. 

"You know," Simon started, tracing the sharp edge of Jace's jaw with his thumb. The shadowhunter's hand came to rest atop of Simon's own, a gentle action. "You suit the braided look. Should do it more often," 

"Y' should do it for me more often, then," Jace shot back, grinning. 

* * *

The braids became a common occurrence. The morning of a big mission, Simon would visit the institute or Jace would stop off at his apartment, and previously un-braided hair would soon become woven into the most intricate styles. They were comfortable- practical too- and the delightedly confused looks on Izzy's face were far too satisfying. It became so common, in fact, that any time Jace couldn't see his boyfriend and had to make do with a half-arsed ponytail, the shadowhunters on his missions with him looked strangely mournful. That and ponytails were easier for demons to grab.

Soon enough, it became a constant in Jace's otherwise impermanent job. A safe space. 

On missions that didn't go as planned- where shadowhunters were lost and too much blood was shed, Jace would arrive at his boyfriend's door, heart heavy. And, without missing a beat, Simon would pull him close and shut the door behind them, guiding Jace to the couch. They'd lie there together for hours; Jace blanketing Simon, Simon's fingers carding through his hair.

It was what kept him from complete shutdown- his time with Simon. He didn't have to be the stone-cold demon killer that the Clave expected of him. He wasn't Jace: the Wayland-Lightwood turned Morgenstern turned Herondale. He was Jace: Simon's boyfriend and braid guineapig. 

It was after a particularly nasty fight- a whole horde of Ravener demons against a squadron of six shadowhunters. Caked in a sickening mix of his own blood and demon Ichor, Jace collapsed against the door of his room in the Insitute. He tossed his seraph blade across the room in the vague direction of the cleaning supplies he kept for it, and let out a heavy sigh. He wanted to go see Simon like he always did after missions like this, but the rise in demon attacks on Shadowhunters (Which was what they were supposed to be investigating in the first place) had the Institute on lockdown. 

He moved away from the door, his muscles aching with every step, and made his way to the en suite. Every bedroom was fitted with an adjoining bathroom, even if only for a shred of privacy. When you live in an abandoned church with over 600 other people that you eat, work, and fight beside, having a space that is completely your own is the only way to stay sane. 

Turning on the water and dialling it up high, Jace stripped off his clothes, dumping them in the hamper by the door. He'd wash them later when he didn't reek of death and Ichor. He stepped under the water and let out a loud groan as the hot water soothed his stiff joints. He bowed his head to wet his hair, and the water rushing past his feet ran a sickening muddy brown colour, thick globs of congealed demon blood sliding off of his skin. He massaged shampoo into his hair, letting his trimmed nails scratch against his scalp the way Simon's would, but it didn't feel as good- not quite the same. 

Jace sighed and rinsed away the bubbles from his hair, lathering up his skin with the lemon shower bar that he'd bought from a mundane store in Brooklyn. It was cheap and easy to find- so he always got it. It was a signature part of him by this point.

Shutting off the water, Jace dried off, wrapping the soft towel around his waist and brushing his hair away from his face. While he felt physically better for having showered, he still felt shitty emotionally. He'd watched the light fade from his colleagues' eyes less than an hour ago- people he'd lived alongside for years. He knew them well, their families too. He really didn't want to be alone. 

Jace let out a heavy sigh, pulling a pair of sweatpants out from the box under his bed and sliding them on. He tossed his towel over his shoulder, just about ready to fall ungracefully into bed and sleep off the day when a knock resounded from the door. He groaned. 

"Listen, Alec, I'm exhausted. If you want a mission de-brief it can wait until tomorr- _oh,_" the final syllable died in his throat at the sight of who was at the door.

Stood in the corridor- all dimples and doe eyes- was Simon. Jace's bristled demeanour softened, and he felt a tired smile grace his features. "How did you- how are you here?" he asked, still stood in the doorway, hand grasping the door handle in his confusion. His eyes flitted up and down Simon's body- as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. 

Simon smiled a soft smile. "Alec gave me clearance. Can I come in?" 

Jace startled at the question, seemingly coming back to himself. "Yeah, 'course," he replied, opening the door completely and stepping to the side. He closed the door once Simon was inside, flicking the lock. "Sorry, long day," 

The vampire hadn't moved that far into the room- no more than a couple of steps away from Jace's place near the door. He stepped forward, gently placing one cool hand against the Shadowhunter's cheek. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked, concern shining in his cocoa eyes. 

Jace shook his head, turning to press a kiss to Simon's palm. "No," he sighed, covering his boyfriend's hand with his own. "Not really," 

Simon nodded, sliding his other hand to the back of Jace's neck and pulling him close. 

"Okay," he whispered, ghosting a kiss against his Jace's temple. "Okay," 

Simon stepped back a fraction, leading Jace to the edge of the bed and nodding to it. "Sit," he said, not unkindly, taking the towel from Jace's shoulder. 

The shadowhunter did as he was told, forearms on his thighs, knees set apart so that Simon could fit between them. When Simon began to towel off his still-dripping hair, Jace rested his forehead against the vampire's abdomen, a soft sigh escaping his lips. 

"Thank you," he murmured, allowing his eyes to flutter shut as the soft material of the towel rubbed over his hair. There came no response- there wasn't need for one. 

Simon folded the towel, placing it at the end of the bed. He bent down and pressed a kiss to Jace's hair, before lifting his chin and gazing down into the beautiful two-tone eyes of his boyfriend. "Do you want me to stay?" he asked, hands splayed over his thighs, just above his knees. His thumbs made comforting circles through the material, his touches gentle.

That was one of the things Jace loved so much about Simon. He was always checking in- how he was doing, what he wanted, what he was okay with. It made him feel safe, something that he had never really felt before meeting the vamp. 

Jace nodded, pulling his boyfriend down for a soft kiss. His hands held Simon's face, palms resting against his jaw. Simon shifted, wrapping his slender fingers around Jace's wrist and stroking the soft skin there. 

They broke away when Simon felt the raised skin of a gash on the back of Jace's arm. He frowned. "You're hurt," he said simply, tone indignant. Jace waved him off, reaching for his stele. 

"Few on my back, too. 'was gonna heal up with an _Iratze,_ when you knocked," he said in response, pointing the instrument to the black rune on his abdomen.

Simon put his hand over Jace's, stopping him. "Here, let me," he murmured, taking the stele and tracing the rune oh-so-carefully. He lifted Jace's arm and watched as the gash disappeared, closing up until only a thin, white scar remained in its place. He pressed a kiss to the remnant of the injury. "What about the ones on your back?" 

"Minor. Probably healed with the rune, 'm okay," 

Simon moved to sit on the edge of the bed, leaning to the side and resting his head on Jace's shoulder. 

"I hate seeing you hurt," he whispered, allowing the steady _thump-thump_ of the Shadowhunter's heartbeat soothe him. 

Jace placed his head atop of Simon's- a silent attempt at comfort.

"I know. I'm sorry,"

"It's okay," the vampire uttered, putting a gentle hand on Jace's own. "You're not dead yet, right? Take that as a win," 

Jace snorted, pulling his boyfriend into the centre of the bed, and snuggling into his side. He'd talk about the mission at some point, but right now, just being with Simon was more than enough for him.


End file.
